Do natural cleansers really work?

Making your own cleaning products is healthier and often cheaper than name-brand cleaners.

"Definite health risks are associated with many conventional cleaning products," said Johanna Congleton, a senior scientist at Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.

"Many of these cleaning products contain ingredients linked to the reproductive ability of an organism and the development of its offspring. Also, some of the chemicals have also been linked to asthma, cancer and liver disease," she said.

When you consider children's bodily systems are still developing and they breathe more in proportion to their body size, the chemicals used in cleaning products become more toxic for children than in adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And change is happening in homes across the U.S., and at an area school, too.

If your family is generally healthy, the American Medical Association advises against using antibacterial products.

"In most cases, handwashing with soap and warm water is adequate," said former East Stroudsburg resident Jack Fellman, who owns Greener Chemistry Associates in New Boston, N.H.

The problem with using antibacterial products for everything: Bacteria is able to mutate to stay alive, and continually using the product can eventually affect how well it works on bacteria, Fellman said.

Stroudsburg Area School District is using a pilot program at Stroudsburg Middle School to provide a greener method for sanitizing the school.

GenEon Trio, a generator about the size of a hotplate and manufactured by GenEon Technology of Texas, creates a safe sanitizer by activating a mixture of tap water and minerals with a slight electrical charge.

"It is totally safe and can be used in place of harsh chemicals to sanitize and clean most surfaces," said Samantha Holbert of Stroudsburg, a representative for Greener Chemistry Associates.

Free available chlorine is created when the chloride ion is separated from the sodium ion by running a small electric charge through the solution, according to GenEon Technology's website.

"The process, called electrolysis, creates hypochlorous acid, which is the acid form of bleach, and it is 80 times more effective than bleach to kill E. coli bacteria," Fellman said.

Holbert added, "Most people don't know it, but they produce hypochlorous acid in their bodies as an infection fighter."

Using the generator doesn't just provide the school a greener way to sanitize, it has also added to the students' learning experiences and responsibility, said Karen Owens Houck, principal of the middle school.

The students manage the weekly water preparation for their homerooms for three reasons: environmental awareness, empowerment and accountability, she said.

"Since germ spreading is inevitable in a school setting, it's the perfect opportunity to empower kids to understand how an environmentally safe product can protect the environment while reducing the spreading of their germs," Houck said.

Students pick up a water bottle each week, and when they sneeze or cough, they wipe down their desk with the safe product.

"Since there are no chemicals, it allows the children to 'take care of business' while reinforcing the peace of mind of not being exposed to environmental hazards such as cleaning chemicals," she said.

Since this is the program's first year, like most experiments, data needs to be collected to determine the effectiveness of the solution.

"Students involved enjoy the inquiry learning and are benefiting from the experience because it forces them to question, think and measure like real scientists," Houck said.

Making your own green cleaners at home is the best thing for the environment and for the health of you and your family, Congleton said.